One of the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s has quit, claiming that the ice cream maker has been “silenced” by the parent company.
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield has resigned from the company because he was being “muzzled” by Unilever and the Magnum Ice Cream Company.
‘Standing up for the values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important, and yet Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power.’
“It’s with a broken heart that I’ve decided I can no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee of Ben & Jerry’s,” said a statement released on the X social media platform.
“I am resigning from the company Ben and I started back in 1978. This is one of the hardest and most painful decisions I’ve ever made,” the statement from Greenfield began. “This isn’t because I’ve lost my love for the people at Ben & Jerry’s. Quite the opposite.”
Greenfield claimed that Unilever promised to allow the progressive ice cream brand to continue to spout social justice talking points.
According to CNN, “British-based Unilever bought Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for $326 million in 2000 but allowed the company to operate independently and continue its social mission without interference from its new parent company.”
Greenfield said that he and his partner, Ben Cohen, “stood up and spoke out in support of peace, justice, and human rights, not as abstract concepts, but in relation to real events happening in our world.”
However, the co-founder now claims that their independence has been taken away, which has been “profoundly disappointing.”
Greenfield asserted, “And it’s happening at a time when our country’s current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ community.”
“Standing up for the values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important, and yet Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power,” he continued. “It’s easy to stand up and speak out when there’s nothing at risk. The real test of values is when times are challenging and you have something to lose.”
Greenfield added, “Love, equity, justice. They’re part of who Ben and I are, and they’ve always been the true foundation of Ben & Jerry’s. From the very beginning, Ben and I believed that our values and the pursuit of justice were more important than the company itself. If the company couldn’t stand up for the things we believed, then it wasn’t worth being a company at all.”
“It was always about more than just ice cream; it was a way to spread love and invite others into the fight for equity, justice, and a better world,” he said.
“Coming to the conclusion that this is no longer possible at Ben & Jerry’s means I can no longer remain part of Ben & Jerry’s,” Greenfield concluded. “If I can’t carry those values forward inside the company today, then I will carry them forward outside, with all the love and conviction I can.”
Cohen added, “After 47 years, Jerry has made the difficult decision to step down from the company we built together. I’m sharing his words as he resigns from Ben & Jerry’s. His legacy deserves to be true to our values, not silenced by Magnum Global.”
Cohen also demanded that Ben & Jerry’s be “free” to speak out on political and social issues.
Cohen told NBC News, “Jerry has a really big heart. This conflict with Unilever has been tearing him apart for quite some time now. I think this is the right move for Jerry.”
“Jerry felt like the values are getting muzzled by Unilever and now Magnum, and he couldn’t stand it. So he’s decided to resign,” Cohen stated.
CNBC reported, “A Unilever spokesperson said the company disagreed with Greenfield’s perspective and that it had sought to ‘engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position.’”
The Unilever spokesperson stated, “We remain committed to Ben & Jerry’s unique three-part mission — product, economic, and social — and remain focused on carrying forward the legacy of peace, love, and ice cream of this iconic, much-loved brand. Ben & Jerry’s is a proud and thriving part of the Magnum Ice Cream Company, and we look forward to further building on its success.”
The Magnum Ice Cream Company has already begun the process of separating from Unilever, and the demerger process is expected to be completed by mid-November 2025.
Besides being progressive mouthpieces, Greenfield and Cohen have been outspoken critics of Israel.
As Blaze News reported in July 2021, the Vermont-based ice cream company proclaimed that its ice cream would no longer be sold in “Occupied Palestinian Territory” belonging to Israel.
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